Henry H. Meyers - Oakland

Henry Haight Meyers (June 6, 1867 – May 26, 1943) was a prolific architect. He designed a number of structures around the Bay Area, including his own home in Alameda, the Posey Tube portals, and Highland Hospital. He served as the County Architect for Alameda County for many years.

Family

Meyers was born in 1867 to Jacob Meyers and Mary Meyers in Alvarado (near present day Union City), the oldest of 9 children. Jacob was a contractor.

In 1897, Meyers married Bertha S. May (Meyers) and they had 4 daughters, Mildred S. Meyers, Roberta Meyers, Dr. Edith M. Meyers, and Jeanette B. Meyers. Roberta died young, but the other sisters remained connected to the end of their lives. Edith became a noted pediatrician, and served as staff president at Children's Hospital. ⁹

Career

After high school, Henry worked as a draftsman for Percy & Hamilton beginning in 1891 and took night classes in architecture in San Francisco. ¹ Henry H. Meyers started work for and went into partnership with Clarence R. Ward in 1902. ⁸

Meyers' projects in Oakland included Highland Hospital, the Posey Tube portals, and the Veterans' Memorial Building. He was also the main architect for the Caldecott Tunnel and designed the distinctive Art Deco medallions above the original tunnel bores.

According to the UC Berkeley College Environmental Design Archives ⁶, other projects in Oakland included:

Fred Finch Orphanage (1911, 1925)
Franklin Theater (c.1915)
Goldberg Bowen & Co., stable at Seventh & Fallon (n.d.)
Goldberg Bowen & Co. warehouse at Sixteenth & Wood (n.d.)
Gwin Mausoleum at Mountain View Cemetery (n.d.)
Hesseman, C.J. at Fourteenth St. (1929)
Hotel Touraine (n.d.)
Mrs. C. S. Houchton residence (n.d.)
Langley & Michaels (1928)
E. P. Stoll residence (n.d.; George Klinkhardt was primary architect)
University High School alterations (1935)

Meyers served as the Alameda County Architect from 1912 until 1930 (or 1935) at the same time as he ran his private practice. ⁷

Mildred studied architecture at UC Berkeley, passed the state exam in 1926, ⁵ and practiced with her father until Henry's retirement in 1936. Mildred took over and ran the practice until her death in 1982.

Death and Legacy

Meyers died May 26, 1943 after a long illness. He is interred at Mountain View Cemetery, section 49, niche #3, tier #3. Jeanette was the last daughter to die, in 1993. After Mildred's death in 1983, Jeanette willed the family home and gardens in Alameda to the city under the conditions that it be used as park. ³ The sisters also left 1,250 acres of land to the East Bay Regional Park District for what is now Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Park. ^4,7